Jane Kinne: Trailblazer, Mentor, Friend

I first met Jane Kinne at a President’s reception at one of the many NANPA Summits. I introduced myself to this small woman of great stature and she said, “…I know who you are and I’m delighted to finally meet you!”

That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship we shared for the past ten years, during the course of which I served on several boards with her at ASPP and NANPA. I would also call her from time to time with a business dilemma when I needed her sage advice.

What always struck me about Jane is that she was even tempered and never got too worked up over some issue or problem. She always encouraged and advised me to take a fair-minded attitude in order to solve a problem, which I continue to use to this day.

Jane and her husband Russ were avid “boaters” and “birders” as are my husband Dave and are. We always looked forward to the many conferences we attended, knowing that we’d spend some more quality time with them. They stayed with us in Seattle one time and I’ll never forget how they came to our breakfast table with binoculars around their necks, sighting birds out our picture window over the canopy of our NW landscape.

A few years ago during a summer board meeting in Denver, Jane and I discovered that one of her dearest classmates from college at William and Mary and then later in NYC, was my husband’s long time friend and mentor from the UW Business School! This connection was uncanny and Jane often commented how Charlie was looking down at us and had indeed put us together because we didn’t know Jane until right after Charlie’s passing!

Jane had stamina unparalleled to others her age—I asked her how she could stay up partying with us and still get up for the 8:00 meetings. She said she had an arsenal of vitamins and supplements that made all the difference. I know that she influenced me in many ways and her legacy will continue in the on-going efforts I take for our photo industry, exercising caution and fairness along the way.

To those of us that were touched by her, she will always remain in our hearts.